June 2026

JUNE 2026

The Ring Magazine - The Bible of Boxing, June 2026 • Volume 103, No. 6

74 IN LIMBO, QAZAQ STYLE

JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY WAS POISED TO BE THE NEXT BIG MIDDLEWEIGHT, BUT A DRUG TEST POPPED THE BUBBLE AND LEFT HIS FUTURE UNCLEAR By Steve Kim 80 ALL IN ONE INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE RUSS ANBER HAS LEFT HIS MARK ON JUST ABOUT EVERY FACET OF THE SWEET SCIENCE By Adam Abramowitz 88 A TREASURE TROVE FROM MANILA THE THRILLA IS BACK IN NEWLY UNEARTHED PHOTOS OF MUHAMMAD ALI AND JOE FRAZIER’S MOST BRUTAL ENCOUNTER Photographs by Lowell Riley, Text by Thomas Hauser

The Hall Of Fame Class Of 2026 56 BIG DRAMA SHOW GENNADIY GOLOVKIN’S HALL OF FAME INDUCTION HAS BEEN CALLED TOO GENEROUS BY SOME, BUT CRITICS ARE MISSING THE LARGER PICTURE By Don Stradley 62 INTO THE LIGHT WITH HIS CALL TO THE HALL, “DARK DESTROYER” NIGEL BENN IS FINALLY BEING RECOGNIZED FOR HIS SENSATIONAL CAREER By Tom Gray 68 IT MUST BE MAGIC ANTONIO TARVER IS KNOWN FOR TOPPLING ROY JONES JR., BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE

34 GUTS FOR GLORY XANDER ZAYAS VS. JARON “BOOTS” ENNIS IS THE RARE MATCHUP OF PRIME, UNDEFEATED FIGHTERS VYING FOR DIVISION SUPREMACY By Corey Erdman 40 USURPERS’ ROW TYSON FURY VS. ANTHONY JOSHUA MAY BE CLOSE, BUT PLENTY OF OTHER HEAVYWEIGHTS WANT TO KICK “THE GYPSY KING” OFF HIS THRONE By Gareth A Davies 50 FIGHTER BY NECESSITY, CHAMPION BY DESIRE EMANUEL NAVARRETE TOOK A LONG, LOW-PAYING ROAD TO SUCCESS AND NOW FINDS HIMSELF AMONG THE POUND-FOR-POUND

DEPARTMENTS 4 OPENING SHOTS

11 RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer 16 BERNSTEIN ON BOXING By Al Bernstein 19 STEVE’S SOAPBOX By Steve Kim 22 BY THE NUMBERS By Don Stradley 25 RING RATINGS 46 HOW TO WATCH BOXING By Adam Abramowitz 84 FIGHT OF FANTASY By Anson Wainwright 86 THE FIGHT DOCTOR By Dr. Margaret Goodman 92 COMMISSIONER’S CORNER By Randy Gordon 94 FINISHING SHOTS 96 FIGHTLINE

TO THE FORMER LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP By Michael Rosenthal

BEST IN BOXING By Ernesto Amador

THE RING (ISSN: 0035‐5410) Issue 6 June 2026, is published monthly by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC, 475 Heffernan Drive, West Haven, CT 06516. Application to mail at Periodicals postage is pending at Milford, CT 06460. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103, Cambey West Congers NY 10920‐0103 Phone 845‐719‐3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com

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Saudi Arabia’s transformation into a global entertainment destination did not happen overnight. Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia’s annual festival of sport and entertainment, was where the ambition first became visible, drawing millions of visitors across a calendar of concerts, activations, and world-class sporting events, including boxing nights that stopped the world. The undisputed heavyweight championship between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was one of them. Behind every one of those moments was infrastructure. And behind much of that infrastructure was stc group. That same logic is now shaping Saudi Arabia’s next major entertainment milestone. Qiddiya City is one of the Kingdom’s most ambitious giga-projects, a 360-square- kilometer destination forty-five kilometers outside Riyadh, designed from the ground up around entertainment, sports, and culture. Aquarabia, the Kingdom’s first water theme park of its kind, is among its flagship assets and experiences within the first city built for Play. As Aquarabia’s Official Premier Speed Partner, stc group is delivering the full digital backbone that a project of this scale demands. What makes stc’s contribution distinctive is not any single product or service. It is the breadth. Drawing on the capabilities of its subsidiaries, stc group delivers the full operational stack at Aquarabia: outdoor and indoor mobile coverage, dedicated internet access, critical communications, network infrastructure, cybersecurity, and the Aquatap wearable, a device that consolidates seamless digital guest experience into a single interface, managing guest flow across 22 rides and experiences, and 24 food and beverage, and 10 retail offerings. It is the kind of integrated offer that no single operator could replicate. But stc’s most consequential contribution at Aquarabia goes beyond the digital. Surftopia, presented by stc, is one of the Kingdom’s first surf pools, featuring customizable waves reaching a competitive two meters. Most surf facilities serve either tourists or seasoned surfers; Surftopia is built for everyone. It attracts international champions while developing the next generation of Saudi surfing talent. It is entertainment infrastructure that doubles as a sporting pipeline, the same model Saudi Arabia has applied in gaming, where stc provides the digital infrastructure powering the Esports World Cup as an Elite and Founding Partner. Through a five-year partnership with Qiddiya Investment Company, stc group is the long-term digital infrastructure partner for the entire destination as it grows. The goal is consistent across every sector the Kingdom has set its sights on: enrich lives, grow new passions, and make sure the infrastructure is never what holds any of it back. Where waves meet connectivity: stc group and the making of Aquarabia Qiddiya City

OPENING SHOT DRAMATIC TENSHIN: Coming off his first professional defeat, Japanese bantamweight star Tenshin Nasukawa could have been forgiven for taking an easy assignment. Instead, the 27-year-old southpaw made the audacious choice of targeting Mexican great Juan Francisco Estrada. On April 11, at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Nasukawa rose to the occasion. The former kickboxing legend was too quick and sharp for Estrada, who struggled to land with consistency. While a head clash in Round 6 compounded the ex-champ’s problems, Nasukawa was the superior fighter on the night, working well off the jab and mixing up his punches to head and body. In November, Nasukawa dropped a decision to Takuma Inoue in a WBC title fight.

Naoki Fukuda

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RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer THE PLIGHT OF JAI OPETAIA

OUR DIVERSITY ENRICHES OUR OFFERING We Connect brands with consumers by utilizing innovative marketing solutions across various platforms to deliver effective campaigns in the MENA region, and across the globe

June 2026 Volume 103, No. 6

Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972) Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh

Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer Managing Editor Tom Gray Senior Editor Brian Harty Creative Director Lamar Clark Controller Deborah L. Harrison

J ai Opetaia is considered the best cruiserweight in the world by both Ring Magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, who recognize the 30-year-old southpaw as the true champion of the 200-pound division. Opetaia is also rated No. 1 at cruiserweight by BoxRec. com and ESPN. The gutsy Aussie earned that status by dethroning reigning Ring/IBF champ Mairis Briedis in July 2022. Since that hard-fought unanimous decision – achieved despite suffering serious jaw fractures early in the bout – he’s defended the Ring title eight times. Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) is a fighting champion, a dynamic athlete and a fearless competitor who wants nothing more than to prove he’s the king of the cruisers by taking on the best of the division. Normally such attributes add to a world-class fighter’s respect and popularity. However, in today’s polarized boxing landscape, Opetaia is an unwitting target of scorn from segments of the industry, media and fandom. These factions cheered when the IBF announced that they would strip him

Opetaia made his most recent defense against Brandon Glanton.

THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410) June 2026, is published 12 times per year by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209. Postmasters: Send change of address Notices to: The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845- 719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Single copy price $9.99 in U.S.A. ,10.99 Canada (£10.99 in the U.K.). Global Subscription price $60.00 for 12 issues plus S&H. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2026 The Ring Magazine FZ-LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@ ringmagazine.com. U.S. / Canadian and International distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed In USA Subscription Inquiries Back Issues Inquiries Digital Orders Inquiries The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept. PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Send Editorial Comments To: comeoutwriting@gmail.com or P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209

of their title days before his March 8 defense against Brandon Glanton. On the day the sanctioning body made it official, March 23, many turned their sights on Opetaia’s Ring Magazine belt, taking to social media to ask when The Ring would declare its cruiserweight championship vacant. Older readers who aren’t preoccupied with boxing politics and don’t spend a lot of time on X or Instagram might wonder why anyone would want Opetaia to be stripped of his Ring belt or why these people would put pressure on the publication to do so. Well, one half of Opetaia’s dilemma is The Ring’s expanded championship policy. The Sydney native finds himself in one of the six situations that Ring champions can lose their belts, No. 5 in the championship rules, which states: “The Champion does not schedule a fight with a top-five contender from any weight class for two years.” The other half of his predicament is

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Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, but more on that later. Briedis and Glanton, who was rated No. 10 prior to March 8, are the only Ring-ranked fighters Opetaia has faced since bursting onto the scene four years ago. According to Michael Francis, head of Tasman Fighters, which represents Opetaia, they have contacted the management of seven out The Ring’s top 10 cruiserweights over the past three years, and all swerved or declined an immediate match for various reasons. Here’s my question to those hoping to see Opetaia without any major belts: Do you really give a damn about The Ring’s rankings and championship rules? I have to ask because rule No. 5 has never been brought up by the fans or media prior to Opetaia (and yes, other Ring champs – including Guillermo Rigondeaux, Adonis Stevenson and Andre Ward – have been in violation of it in years past). During my eight-year tenure as Editor-In-Chief, the boxing public has only campaigned for two reigning Ring champs to be stripped – Tyson Fury, toward the end of his 2½-year mental health hiatus, and Canelo Alvarez, immediately after he popped hot for clenbuterol. Opetaia hasn’t disappeared from the sport or tested positive for a banned substance, yet he’s catching the same caliber of heat those two did. I don’t think this is about The Ring. I think it’s about Opetaia signing with Zuffa Boxing in January. Now that the UFC’s abrasive bossman is in the boxing business with plans to ignore the sanctioning bodies in lieu of his own rankings and Zuffa belt – now you know why the IBF stripped Opetaia – he’s seen as a serious threat by the sport’s power brokers as well as wannabes who like to take sides. Opetaia is merely guilty by association. But they aren’t wrong about Opetaia being in violation of our rules. So, the Ring Ratings Panel addressed the issue on March 23. Managing editor Tom Gray got the discussion started:

As this issue went to press, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev hadn’t fought since their rematch, which took place last February. Neither had Zhilei Zhang, who last fought on the undercard of their rematch. Injuries, surgeries, and scheduled bouts falling out were brought up by panelists who voted to keep the elite light heavyweights in the pound-for- pound and divisional rankings. Zhang also got extra time in the heavyweight top 10 due to his difficulty landing quality opponents. However, when the panel grants added time due to circumstances, it’s not indefinite. A time limit is always set for their management to get a bout officially scheduled. If that doesn’t happen by the deadline, they’re dropped, which is what happened to Zhang in late March and to Beterbiev in late April. However, Bivol had a fight scheduled for May 30 and remains in the rankings. “I may not agree with each decision, but we arrived there democratically, and I can live with that,” I continued. Panelist Anson Wainwright sympathized with Opetaia’s plight but voted to enforce the rule. “It’s a tough one, because Opetaia, as Doug says, wants the smoke and appears more than willing to face any cruiserweight, but they don’t all appear so willing. I hate to see Opetaia penalized and lose the title, but these are the rules we’ve followed previously, so I’ll say to remove Opetaia as Ring champion.” I replied to Wainwright: “I will reiterate that we have a panel to discuss said rules. We don’t always follow them to a ‘T,’ as I’ve pointed out with the exceptions we’ve given to fighters who were inactive for more than 12 months. We’ve debated the championship policy as well, sometimes bucking the rule of No. 1 vs. No. 2 or No. 3 [for a vacant Ring championship], as we did when we put the vacant junior bantamweight belt on the line for Srisaket Sor Rungvisai-Juan Francisco Estrada I (at a time when they were the Nos. 2 and 3 contenders – Naoya Inoue was No. 1, but we knew he was

“Over the past several weeks/months, fans have been asking why Jai Opetaia has been allowed to retain his Ring championship despite being over the two-year threshold to face a top-five Ring Magazine rated contender. This has come again because the IBF has stripped him. “Can everyone please give their views on this and be aware that your comments might be used in a ratings update regardless of what way it goes.” First to respond was panelist Adam Abramowitz, who didn’t see the logic in singling Opetaia out: “My thought is we only strip Jai if we do a full accounting of all fighters in our rankings to see who else this might apply to. If we agree to this and do that undertaking, then I’m fine with removing people due to that rule. But I also don’t want to just take out Opetaia because we got lobbied to do so. The standard must be evenly applied.” I agreed with Abramowitz and reminded the panel that we seldom enforce our rules without looking into the conditions of the violations: “We have rules, but we also have a Ratings Panel for a reason, and that reason is to discuss and debate the circumstances that accompany every situation that impacts the rankings.” I brought up recent examples of the panel granting leeway to boxers who were inactive for more than a year. Our rule on inactivity states that a boxer exits the rankings if he or she has been out of the ring for 12 months without having a fight scheduled. Last October, Bakhram Murtazaliev had reached 12 months of inactivity. The IBF 154-pound titleholder had a defense against Josh Kelly in the works but not officially scheduled. Panelists brought up the hand injury he sustained during his third-round stoppage of Tim Tszyu in October 2024 as well as his management’s difficulty in finding challengers. The majority voted to allow him to remain in the junior middleweight rankings until a deal was reached for his January 31 defense against Kelly.

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Unheralded Italian Claudio Squeo was criticized as an opponent.

again to determine if he keeps the championship based on the opponent’s Ring ranking.

leaving the division), and other times upholding it against popular opinion as we did when Sunny Edwards fought Bam Rodriguez (who was No. 4 in our flyweight rankings at the time; Sunny was No. 1).” Gray shared his opinion and included background on Opetaia’s situation: “Here’s my take on why Jai Opetaia shouldn’t be stripped: “Opetaia has been champion for just short of four years. The double fracture to his jaw took out over a year of that time. “In 2023, Opetaia was due to fight (then-ranked) Richard Riakporhe, who gave up his mandatory spot and bailed on negotiations at the 11th hour (of a scheduled IBF purse bid). “In 2024, Opetaia fought a rematch with Briedis. While Briedis had been out of action due to injury and subsequently removed from the ratings, this was still a big fight for the division. “Also in 2024, Chris Billam-Smith admitted to BoxingScene that he had turned down the Opetaia fight. “In 2025, it was reported that Zurdo Ramirez asked for $8 million to fight Opetaia. That wasn’t going to happen. “And how often do you hear anyone deny the above? It just goes radio silent. Opetaia, for me, is in a similar position to Guillermo Rigondeaux years ago. The Cuban was also avoided, but his activity suffered as a result. While Opetaia has been unable to secure the fights he wants, he’s stayed active and remains in pursuit. I don’t know what more the guy or his team could have done. “I am firmly against him being stripped, but that’s just my take.” That was also the take of eight out of the 12 panelists who contributed to the discussion. The panel’s resolution is for Opetaia to keep the Ring belt until his next challenger is announced, at which time we will meet

Near the end of the discussion, Wainwright changed his opinion: “I can see it both ways, but as we don’t have to follow a strict guideline and can judge on its own merit, it is clear Opetaia wants to fight the best, and my feeling is he should remain as champion. However, he has to face a top contender next time out.” Added panelist Droeks Malan: “I would be inclined to inform the Opetaia camp that the next fight needs to be against a top-fiver. If the next fight is announced and the opponent does not fit the criteria or an inordinate amount of time goes by (let’s say another two months without anything announced), then strip him.” Added panelist Chris McKenna: “May is the two-year anniversary of the Briedis [rematch]. That should be the point. He signed with Zuffa, who everyone knows is trying to set up a UBO, which will lock him away from contenders unless someone like [Chris Billam-Smith] also switches over to them. On him if he can’t find a top-five contender.” Harsh words from McKenna, but boxing is a harsh sport and a harsher business. However, Zuffa Boxing is serious about signing worthy challengers for Opetaia. On April 13, the aforementioned Billam- Smith – currently No. 2 in The Ring’s cruiserweight rankings – signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Zuffa Boxing. On April 16, Ryan Rozicki, No. 5 in the rankings, also signed with Zuffa. Hopefully, one of them fights Opetaia next. If not, he could lose his Ring belt. If that happens, the best cruiserweight on the planet will only hold one physical title – the newly created Zuffa belt. That will make White happy. But is this what the White/Zuffa Boxing detractors wanted?

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BERNSTEIN ON BOXING

Donaire scored the 2011 Knockout of the Year against Fernando Montiel ...

took over the role of manager. And the male-dominated boxing world, not surprisingly, looked askance at Rachel’s emergence. A loss to Cuban boxing wizard Guillermo Rigondeaux inflamed the chatter. Nonito’s reaction, however, was one of unswerving support for his wife, and that has never waned throughout the fights that followed. And remarkably, Rachel, a former military taekwondo champion in her own right, even took on the role of trainer for Nonito’s final world title win against Nordine Oubaali in 2021. Their partnership is a unique and central theme to the arc of Donaire’s career. His first reinvention occurred after the Rigondeaux loss, when he moved up to featherweight and won the WBA title against Simpiwe Vetyeka. He lost the belt to Nicholas Walters, then went back to 122 pounds and outpointed Cesar Juarez to pick up the WBO title, which he lost to Jessie Magdaleno in his second defense. Donaire made what some, including me, thought was an ill-advised return to featherweight and lost to Carl Frampton, but reinvented himself yet again, at age 35, by going back down two weight divisions to participate in the World Boxing Super Series at bantamweight, where he had never lost a fight. This is where he would remain for the next eight years and counting. But if that decision was a surprise, it was what happened in the finals of the WBSS against Naoya Inoue that truly shocked the boxing world, as Donaire turned what some thought was a suicide mission into talk of his rejuvenation, even in defeat. His courageous and skillful performance against “The Monster” was the stuff of legend. Donaire lost by decision but tested Inoue as no one else had, and he did it a few days before his 37th birthday. He rode that momentum to the Oubaali title win before he astonishingly took on Inoue again in 2022 and suffered a one-sided second- round stoppage. Another title has

has continued, even in his 40s, with his two last fights coming against two of Japan’s top bantamweights many years his junior. He was courageous and skilled in two losses. • No one can claim to be above Donaire in terms of a career- long devotion to preparation, conditioning and commitment to the sport. A major part of his legacy is his popularity with boxing fans and people within the industry. Yes, he and Rachel have had a few public dustups with folks on the business side of the sport. It would be impossible for that not to happen in a decades-long boxing career. But it’s nothing compared to the dysfunctional boxing circus we see with many of the top names in boxing, both in and out of the ring. Donaire’s fan popularity stems not just from his ability in the ring and the many exciting fights he has created; it also comes from the respect he has shown opponents before, during and after they battle one another, with the equanimity and grace he’s shown in both winning and losing. Even in today’s turbulent social media-laden times, that seems to count for something with many boxing fans. At his best, during his championship runs through the flyweight and bantamweight divisions, Donaire was as dominant a champion as I have seen. That period alone made his boxing career something truly special. It helped pave his road to Canastota and the Hall of Fame where he will be rightfully enshrined.

I was ringside that night to call the match, and what happened qualifies as one of the top three moments I saw in my 21-year run on Showtime Championship Boxing . Flyweight titleholder Vic Darchinyan was on a run of terror through his division with six defenses of his crown, five by stoppage. Among those victims was Nonito’s brother, Glenn (who lost a technical decision that probably should’ve been a TKO as well). Nonito had carved out a solid 17-1 career to that point, but many thought he was ticketed as the seventh Darchinyan victim. It was apparent, however, from the opening bell that Donaire was the superior fighter with advantages in height, reach and skill. All of that helped him fashion the

•

… which followed the 2007 Knockout of the year against Vic Darchinyan.

eluded him in the twilight of his career, but that is of little matter. Sticking to the particulars of Donaire’s journey has been by design in this column so far. There needs to be a real awareness of facts to fully appreciate the observations I now offer:

•

A man who is all about being steady and reliable in his conditioning and approach to boxing has had the most turbulent of journeys in career fortune. Though successes far outnumber failures, the swing in fortunes has been dizzying at times. Donaire’s fearless approach to challenge-taking has been extraordinary, and you can either argue it was the biggest strength or biggest weakness of his career. Every new weight up or down seemed to bring him to a master of that division. It worked against Montiel, but not against Rigondeaux. It was a legend builder against Inoue, and it’s reflective of his persona that even a loss somehow becomes a win. Donaire’s insane acceptance of difficult challenges

FLASHES OF GREATNESS By Al Bernstein

Upset of the Year: He ended the fight with a fifth-round left hook that was felt around the boxing universe. The finality of the knockout starkly ended Darchinyan’s dominance and replaced it with Donaire’s. What followed was a magical five-year run of 13 straight wins for Donaire, which included adding a pair of bantamweight titles with a second-round stoppage of Mexican star Fernando Montiel and winning a junior featherweight Ring championship by knocking out Toshiaki Nishioka. While the journey in the ring was smooth, outside it there were uneven times. Family relations with his father and brother were strained as his wife, Rachel,

•

T here are few boxers of this century who have had a more fascinating and successful journey than future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire. The man has reinvented his career more times than Madonna. Even now, after a violent TKO loss to Riku Masuda on March 15, we are not sure if the 43-year-old is

done with his career – as if we can truly tell that with any boxers these days. What I can say is that 25 years into a pro career seems like a pretty good time to evaluate/celebrate a person’s career – with an emphasis here on the celebration part. The boxing journey for Donaire began well before July 7, 2007, but that was the date that put him on the map.

I will always be grateful that some 19 years ago, I was able to be ringside to chronicle for the ages that famous left hook that ignited the extraordinary career of the Filipino Flash.

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STEVE’S SOAPBOX NEW BEGINNINGS By Steve Kim

O n the night of July 26 last year, Xander Zayas defeated Jorge Garcia over 12 rounds to capture the vacant WBO junior middleweight title. That card, which took place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, was the last for Top Rank on ESPN. A union that began in 2017 came to an end, meaning that the promotional company would need a new broadcast partner. But it also meant that Top Rank’s vast stable of boxers would need fights going into the fall and winter. Regardless of the TV situation, the rest of the business had to move on. “We knew when the end was coming,” said Carl Moretti, the vice president of boxing operations for Top Rank. “Going into that, we mapped out where we could put guys and how we could move guys till something was formally put together.” Despite the recent losses of Terence

Top Rank’s finest: (left to right) Keyshawn Davis, Shu Shu Carrington, Emiliano Vargas, Abdullah Mason.

Crawford and then Shakur Stevenson, Top Rank still has among the deepest and most talented rosters in the sport. But it was imperative to keep that roster busy until the company found a new platform. There were prospects who needed activity, more advanced boxers who were in line for title shots and champions who were looking to unify titles. The bulk of the negotiation with prospective networks was handled by Top Rank President Todd duBoef and attorney Jeremy Koegel. Brad Jacobs, the COO, was kept in the loop at all times, while matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler were in charge of placing the younger boxers on various shows. The bigger bouts were consummated under the direction of Moretti and Koegel. “It was a typical team effort,” said Moretti. “We shared the information all around, and got to the point of just executing it.” During this period of time, everyone

operated with the understanding that there was no firm deadline in terms of reaching an agreement with a new platform. Moretti explained: “I’d say there were more time frames where we would plan and say, ‘Look, we should have this in place by this date, or we have to pivot to something else.’ It was a daily conversation, a progression, and we just followed it along till we got closer to something. Then we adjusted things from there.” From mid-November to late February, Top Rank boxers would box on foreign soil on shows promoted by other companies. And it was almost a clean sweep for them throughout the fall and

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STEVE’S SOAPBOX

athlete took a step up,” duBoef told The Ring. “They elevated their game, and they couldn’t have done that without those early rounds. Without those early fights in their system, they couldn’t have done it without the great maturity that they got. That’s all part of the overall packaging and developing that we did with them.” duBoef admits that it’s a source of pride to have Top Rank charges win battles against boxers represented by rival promoters. Included in the pitch deck he presents to networks is a chart that shows Top Rank’s record versus the likes of Matchroom, Golden Boy and PBC. “It’s something like 40 to 9 – it’s really lopsided,” he stated. Finally, on March 18, it was formally announced that Top Rank would be entering into a multi-year deal to air fights on DAZN, which now means that just about every major promoter of note in the sport is under its umbrella. But for months leading into this, both duBoef and the founder of Top Rank, Bob Arum, made it clear that unlike their previous deal with ESPN, they would not be exclusive to just one entity. “That was a big piece we had to get over,” admitted duBoef of their talks with DAZN. Top Rank’s philosophy is that the other major sports have multiple rights deals that range from traditional television to streaming options. It’s clear that it wants to have multiple portals to place its stable of fighters. All duBoef would say at this moment was: “We announced the cornerstone to our deal, which was DAZN. We did discuss that it’s not an exclusive deal. There is room for all of us to grow. I don’t want to talk about the other stuff, because it’s ongoing. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.” But regardless, he believes that they don’t have to do a hard sell on their roster. To him, it’s the best in boxing. “I mean, do you have to say it?” duBoef said with a chuckle. “Maybe if you’re on another planet and you don’t know it. We whipped some ass and took everybody out.”

Shu Shu Carrington dazzled in his victory over Carlos Castro.

winter months. The Top Rank brass lined them up, and they kept knocking them down. On November 22, Abdullah Mason traveled to Saudi Arabia and won a hard-fought decision over Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Then on January 24 on a Matchroom Boxing card in Las Vegas, Raymond Muratalla outpointed betting favorite Andy Cruz for the vacant IBF belt. The following week at Madison Square Garden, Bruce Carrington captured the vacant WBC featherweight crown by stopping Carlos Castro in nine. On that same bill, Keyshawn Davis stopped Jamaine Ortiz in 12 rounds in his junior welterweight debut. That very same evening in Puerto Rico, Zayas became a unified titleholder, defeating Abass Baraou to add the WBA strap to his collection (this would be the only show promoted and streamed by Top Rank). Then, to top it off, on February 28 in another Matchroom event, Emanuel Navarrete chopped up Eduardo Nunez in 11 to unify two junior lightweight titles. On the same card, The Ring’s 2025 Prospect of the Year, Emiliano Vargas, scored a ninth-round TKO of Agustin Quintana, one of two victories he notched since the ESPN breakup. Ironically, the only Top Rank-branded

boxer to suffer a defeat during the company’s time between broadcast partners was Teofimo Lopez, who lost to his former promotional stablemate, Stevenson. Regardless, the company could not have asked for better results. But Moretti was not surprised by what transpired. “They were all built the same way to get to that point, and to win the fights,” he said. “Whether it’s on your platform or another platform, the bell rings, and you can’t really do much after that. You just have to trust your fighter wins – and it’s up to the fighter. So I wouldn’t say it was a big shock. It’s more of the result of the last seven years with these guys being built a certain way. They say, ‘Ford Tough’ … well, they’re built ‘Top Rank Tough.’” When asked about the success of his fighters, duBoef stated that it was a “combination” of factors. He was quick to point out that they were talented, but he wanted to laud his matchmakers for the part they played in the process. “The cream rose to the top, and that’s all part of the development, and each

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BY THE NUMBERS: KID AZTECA By Don Stradley Depending on the source, Kid Azteca had anywhere from 300 to 400 fights. People lost count after a while. Here’s his incredible story by the numbers.

wins over Ceferino Garcia » Among Azteca’s shining moments was in the summer of 1933 when he twice defeated Ceferino Garcia, a bolo-punching power hitter from the Philippines who would someday win the middleweight

years as Mexican welterweight champion » In a clash for the vacant Mexican welterweight title in March 1936, Azteca defeated

title. First, Azteca won a 10-round decision over Garcia at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 11. Wearing five-ounce gloves originally designed for great Irish welterweight Jimmy McLarnin, Azteca put Garcia down three times in the third and then boxed his way to an easy win. “Poker-faced and unruffled, Azteca was the calm killer, awaiting his chance to shoot the T.N.T. he packs in both hands,” reported a wire service, noting the “deafening applause” as Azteca left the ring. Since Azteca’s win was regarded as an upset – Garcia was popular in California and had been a 3-to-1 favorite – a rematch was made two weeks later. This time, it was an eighth-round TKO for Azteca, the fight stopped because Garcia was badly cut. Garcia got some revenge in 1936 with a fifth-round stoppage of Azteca in Hollywood’s Legion Stadium. Garcia evened their series at two wins apiece with a decision win in 1944, 11 years after they’d first met. working in the 1940s came up against Fritzie Zivic. Not surprisingly, Azteca fought Zivic four times. Zivic, the bent-nosed terror from Pittsburgh who would soon reign as the welterweight champion, handed Azteca a 10-round decision loss in Houston, Texas, in 1939. They rematched in 1944 and fought again in 1945, with Zivic taking both contests on points and giving Azteca a bloody pasting in the third bout. Finally, in their 1947 bout in Mexico City, Azteca had his hand raised after stopping Zivic in the fifth. Azteca “gave me a pretty good beating,” Zivic said later, though he was angrier about the way “every official in Mexico” seemed to get a piece of his paycheck. Zivic told the International News Service, “I had to borrow money to come home.” encounters with Fritzie Zivic » Chances are good that any welterweight

Eddie Cerda via 12-round decision. He would retain the distinction for 14 years, including 11 defenses, before losing it to longtime rival Tomas Lopez, aka “El Conscripto,” in 1950. Previously, Azteca had twice beaten Conscripto and drawn with him once, and he would defeat him again in 1954. Azteca had also tried for the Mexican middleweight title, losing to Vicente Villavicencio in 1947.

years old when he began his pro career » Well, maybe. The Kid’s exact birthdate is open to speculation, as

years in the business »

is his exact number of fights. He fought at a time when it was not unusual for a boxer or his manager to fudge a date, and no one was investigating. Child labor laws? Forget about it. The youngster born Luis Villanueva Paramo had to earn some money somehow – he was one of more than a dozen siblings living in one of Mexico City’s

Azteca (1913-2002) lived the life of a Mexican boxing star. He appeared in movies, and in the early days of television his fights

poorest neighborhoods – and fighting was his best bet. Official recordkeepers list the date of his first fight as 1929 when he was 16, but some claim he’d started in 1926. Later in his career, a reporter peeked at his passport and noted the date of birth as June 21, 1913, which meant he could’ve been 13 when he made his pro debut. Fighting for money at 13 was highly possible. Mexico had only recently established a boxing commission, but the country maintained a freewheeling, Wild West tone when it came to prizefighting. Bootleg bouts were still held in brothels, dance halls and other makeshift locations. It’s likely that young Luis Paramo took part in some illegal brawls to make a little bit of money. But whether he fought in a handful of illicit contests or a hundred, as his publicists liked to say, is something we’ll never be sure of. It became part of Kid Azteca’s mystique. Who ya gonna believe?

often aired on Mexico’s first channels. Yet by the end of his career, he’d become a novelty, a name one would mention when discussing other fighters who were working past the usual retirement age. He played on that, too, and by the time he quit boxing at age 47, Azteca was telling people he was over 50 just to get a reaction. Why not? A fighter doesn’t last 32 years in the business without having a flair for publicity. Whether he was a young contender making his debut at the Olympic Auditorium, or a 47-year-old geezer winning his final fight with a first-round KO of Alfonso Malacara in Veracruz, Azteca knew how to get noticed. He never won a world title, and never even challenged for one. Yet the legend of Kid Azteca, even without a world belt, was large enough.

recorded bouts » From his first “official” fight in 1929 to his retirement in 1961, Azteca participated in 254 bouts, which is among

archaeologists are still digging up old fight programs, and those numbers are sure to change. Among the better men he faced on his long boxing journey were Battling Shaw, Joe Glick, Baby Joe Gans, Cocoa Kid, Kenny LaSalle, Rodolfo Casanova and Izzy Jannazzo, all known names of the era, as well as Bep van Kleveren, a Dutchman who won a gold medal at the 1928 Olympics. Stylewise, Azteca was a free swinger, throwing haymakers as one would expect of a guy who started out as a boy fighting in saloons. He also threw a mean hook to the liver, though the assertion by some that he invented the punch is probably a myth.

rounds with Sammy Angott » Described by the INS as “a dull affair throughout,” the 1950 bout between Azteca and Sammy “The Clutch” Angott provided El Paso fans with an excuse to riot. Angott earned a 10-round decision over Azteca, by now 37 and no longer as sharp as he’d once been. When the two fighters continued punching after the final bell – odd, considering neither had done much punching prior to that – the rowdy audience took that as a cue to pelt the ring with debris. When the respective cornermen jumped in to separate the fighters, members of Azteca’s camp started swinging on Angott’s team. Once the melee was calmed, Angott left the ring under the protection of a police escort.

the highest totals for a professional boxer. Of the few fighters who had more, most competed in those same days of shoddy recordkeeping. Azteca’s final record, according to the always fluctuating BoxRec.com, was 192-47-11, with 114 knockouts and a few no-contests and no decisions along the way. However, Mexican

22 RINGMAGAZINE.COM

RINGMAGAZINE.COM 23

Ring Ratings Through fights of April 18, 2026

Jeddad Knows Age Every Moment Matters Here Jeddah is Different

RECENT FIGHT RESULTS

118: Tenshin Nasukawa (in at No. 9) TKO 9 Juan Francisco Estrada 115: Theophilous Allotey (No. 9, 1) TKO 7 Jonas Erastus 112: Miel Fajardo (in at No. 8) TKO 1 Tobias Reyes (No. 7, out) 108: Rene Santiago (No. 1) UD 12 Masataka Taniguchi (No. 9, out) 105: Pedro Taduran (No. 2) KO 7 Gustavo Perez WOMEN P4P: Ellie Scotney (No. 10, 1) UD 10 Mayelli Flores 168: Lani Daniels (No. 2, 2) TKO 9 Shadasia Green (C, 2) 154: Chantelle Cameron (in at No. 3) UD 10 Michaela Kotaskova 147: Emilie Sonvico (No. 5, 2) W 8 Erica Alvarez 140: Estelle Mossely (in at No. 4) UD 8 Bexcy Mateus 135: Caroline Dubois (No. 1, 1) UD 10 Terri Harper (No. 3) 130: Alycia Baumgardner (C) UD 10 Bo Mi Re Shin 126: Nina Meinke (No. 3, 1) UD 12 Dyana Vargas 102: Shiori Yotsumoto (in at No. 4) TKO 7 Mao Kamada 102: Sumire Yamanaka (No. 1) SD 10 Nao Ugawa (No. 5)

MEN

H: H: H:

Moses Itauma (No. 7,

2) TKO 5 Jermaine Franklin

Zhilei Zhang (No. 5) out, inactivity

Tyson Fury (in at No. 3) UD 12 Arslanbek Makhmudov

200: Viddal Riley (No. 9,

2) UD 12 Mateusz Masternak

175: Willy Hutchinson (No. 9) UD 10 Ezra Taylor 175: Artur Beterbiev (No. 1) out, inactivity 168: Lester Martinez (No. 4) UD 12 Immanuwel Aleem 168: Osleys Iglesias (No. 2) TKO 8 Pavel Silyagin 160: Carlos Adames (No. 1) UD 12 Austin Williams (No. 8,

160: Yoenli Hernandez (No. 2) TKO 4 Terrell Gausha 160: Denzel Bentley (in at No. 10) TKO 7 Endry Saavedra 160: Conor Benn (No. 4) out, moved down 154: Sebastian Fundora (No. 2) TKO 6 Keith Thurman 130: Andres Cortes (No. 9) out, moved up 122: Yukinori Oguni (in at No. 10) UD 10 Marlon Tapales (No. 1, out) 122: Sam Goodman (No. 3, 1) UD 12 Rodrigo Ruiz

RINGMAGAZINE.COM 25

MEN’S RING RATINGS Through April 18, 2026 CHAMPIONSHIPBELTS: RING IBF WBA WBC WBO | H NEW TO RATINGS

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 175 POUNDS

HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGHT UNLIMITED

CRUISERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 200 POUNDS

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 168 POUNDS

C OLEKSANDR USYK

C JAI OPETAIA

C DMITRY BIVOL

C (VACANT) 1 CANELO ALVAREZ

Ukraine • 24-0-0 (15 KOs)

Australia • 30-0-0 (23 KOs)

Russia • 24-1-0 (12 KOs) +1 DAVID BENAVIDEZ U.S. • 31-0-0 (25 KOs) +1 CALLUM SMITH U.K. • 31-2-0 (22 KOs) +1 ALBERT RAMIREZ Venezuela • 22-0-0 (19 KOs) +1 ANTHONY YARDE U.K. • 27-4-0 (24 KOs) +1 DAVID MORRELL Cuba • 12-1-0 (9 KOs) +1 IMAM KHATAEV Australia • 11-1-0 (10 KOs)

1 FABIO WARDLEY

1 GILBERTO RAMIREZ Mexico • 48-1-0 (30 KOs) 2 CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH U.K. • 21-2-0 (13 KOs) 3 MICHAL CIESLAK Poland • 28-2-0 (22 KOs) 4 NOEL MIKAELIAN Armenia • 28-3-0 (12 KOs) 5 RYAN ROZICKI Canada • 21-1-1 (20 KOs) 6 BADOU JACK Sweden • 29-4-3 (17 KOs) 7 +2 VIDDAL RILEY U.K. • 14-0-0 (7 KOs) 8 -1 LEONARDO MOSQUEA France • 18-0-0 (11 KOs) 9 -1 ROBIN SIRWAN SAFAR Sweden • 19-0-0 (13 KOs) 10 YAMIL PERALTA Argentina • 18-1-1 (10 KOs)

Mexico • 63-3-2 (39 KOs)

U.K. • 20-0-1 (19 KOs)

2 OSLEYS IGLESIAS

2 AGIT KABAYEL

Cuba • 15-0-0 (14 KOs)

Germany • 27-0-0 (19 KOs)

3 CHRISTIAN MBILLI

3 H TYSON FURY

France • 29-0-1 (24 KOs)

U.K. • 35-2-1 (24 KOs) -1 DANIEL DUBOIS U.K. • 22-3-0 (21 KOs) -1 FILIP HRGOVIC Croatia • 19-1-0 (14 KOs) +1 MOSES ITAUMA U.K. • 14-0-0 (12 KOs) -1 MARTIN BAKOLE Congo • 21-2-1 (16 KOs)

4 LESTER MARTINEZ

Guatemala • 20-0-1 (16 KOs)

5 DIEGO PACHECO

U.S. • 25-0-0 (18 KOs) 6 JOSE ARMANDO RESENDIZ Mexico • 16-2-0 (11 KOs) 7 CALEB PLANT U.S. • 23-3-0 (14 KOs) 8 HAMZAH SHEERAZ U.K. • 22-0-1 (18 KOs) 9 JACOB BANK Denmark • 18-0-0 (10 KOs) 10 H BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEV Uzbekistan • 17-1-0 (11 KOs)

+1 JOSHUA BUATSI U.K. • 20-1-0 (13 KOs)

8 EFE AJAGBA

+1 WILLY HUTCHINSON

Nigeria • 21-1-1 (15 KOs) 9 RICHARD TORREZ JR. U.S. • 14-0-0 (12 KOs) 10 MURAT GASSIEV Russia • 33-2-0 (26 KOs)

U.K. • 20-2-0 (14 KOs)

+1 NAJEE LOPEZ U.S. • 16-0-0 (13 KOs) 10 H UMAR DZAMBEKOV Austria • 14-0-0 (10 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 160 POUNDS C (VACANT) 1 CARLOS ADAMES 2 YOENLI HERNANDEZ Cuba • 10-0-0 (9 KOs) 3 ERISLANDY LARA U.S. • 32-3-3 (19 KOs) 4 +1 TROY ISLEY U.S. • 15-0-0 (5 KOs) 5 +1 ETINOSA OLIHA Italy • 22-0-0 (10 KOs) 6

JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 154 POUNDS

WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 147 POUNDS

JR. WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 140 POUNDS C H SHAKUR STEVENSON U.S. • 25-0-0 (11 KOs) 1 DALTON SMITH U.K. • 19-0-0 (14 KOs) 2 RICHARDSON HITCHINS U.S. • 20-0-0 (8 KOs) 3 KEYSHAWN DAVIS U.S. • 14-0-0 (10 KOs) 4 TEOFIMO LOPEZ U.S. • 22-2-0 (13 KOs) 5 ALBERTO PUELLO 6 GARY ANTUANNE RUSSELL U.S. • 19-1-0 (17 KOs) 7 SANDOR MARTIN Spain • 43-4-0 (15 KOs) 8 SUBRIEL MATIAS

C (VACANT) 1 VERGIL ORTIZ

C (VACANT) 1 DEVIN HANEY

Dom. Rep. • 25-1-1 (18 KOs)

U.S. • 24-0-0 (22 KOs) 2 SEBASTIAN FUNDORA U.S. • 24-1-1 (16 KOs) 3 XANDER ZAYAS

U.S. • 33-0-0 (15 KOs) 2 BRIAN NORMAN JR. U.S. • 28-1-0 (22 KOs) 3 EIMANTAS STANIONIS U.S. • 25-2-0 (20 KOs) 5 ROLANDO ROMERO U.S. • 17-2-0 (13 KOs) 6 ROHAN POLANCO 4 RYAN GARCIA

Puerto Rico • 23-0-0 (13 KOs)

Lithuania • 16-1-0 (9 KOs)

4 ISRAIL MADRIMOV

Uzbekistan • 11-2-1 (7 KOs)

5 JARON ENNIS

U.S. • 35-0-0 (31 KOs)

Dom. Rep. • 24-1-0 (10 KOs)

6 JOSH KELLY

+1 AARON MCKENNA Ireland • 20-0-0 (10 KOs)

U.K. • 18-1-1 (9 KOs) 7 BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV Russia • 23-1-0 (17 KOs) 8 BRANDON ADAMS U.S. • 26-4-0 (16 KOs) 9 ABASS BARAOU Germany • 17-2-0 (9 KOs) 10 BAKARY SAMAKE France • 19-0-0 (11 KOs)

Dom. Rep. • 17-0-0 (10 KOs)

7 SHAKHRAM GIYASOV

+2 CHRIS EUBANK JR.

U.K. • 35-4-0 (25 KOs)

Uzbekistan • 17-0-0 (10 KOs)

8 RAUL CURIEL

+2 JESUS RAMOS JR.

U.S. • 24-1-0 (19 KOs) 9 H DENZEL BENTLEY U.K. • 22-3-1 (18 KOs) 10 H AMARI JONES U.S. • 16-0-0 (14 KOs)

Mexico • 17-0-1 (14 KOs)

Puerto Rico • 23-3-0 (22 KOs)

9 ALEXIS ROCHA

9 ADAM AZIM

U.S. • 26-2-1 (16 KOs)

U.K. • 14-0-0 (11 KOs)

10 JACK CATTERALL

10 PIERCE O’LEARY

U.K. • 32-2-0 (14 KOs)

Ireland • 19-0-0 (11 KOs)

26 RINGMAGAZINE.COM

MEN’S RING RATINGS Through April 18, 2026 CHAMPIONSHIPBELTS: RING IBF WBA WBC WBO | H NEW TO RATINGS

LIGHTWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 135 POUNDS

JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 130 POUNDS

FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 126 POUNDS

JR. FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 122 POUNDS

C (VACANT) 1 SHAKUR STEVENSON U.S. • 25-0-0 (11 KOs) 2 RAYMOND MURATALLA U.S. • 24-0-0 (17 KOs) 3 WILLIAM ZEPEDA Mexico • 33-1-0 (27 KOs) 4 ANDY CRUZ Cuba • 6-1-0 (3 KOs) 5 ABDULLAH MASON U.S. • 20-0-0 (17 KOs) 6 FLOYD SCHOFIELD U.S. • 19-0-0 (13 KOs) 7 SAM NOAKES U.K. • 17-1-0 (15 KOs) 8 LUCAS BAHDI Canada • 20-0-0 (15 KOs) 9 JADIER HERRERA Cuba • 18-0-0 (16 KOs) 10 JOE CORDINA U.K. • 19-1-0 (9 KOs)

C (VACANT) 1 EMANUEL NAVARRETE Mexico • 40-2-1 (33 KOs) 2 O’SHAQUIE FOSTER U.S. • 24-3-0 (12 KOs) 3 ANTHONY CACACE Ireland • 25-1-0 (9 KOs) 4 ROBSON CONCEICAO Brazil • 21-3-1 (10 KOs) 5 CHARLY SUAREZ

C (VACANT) 1 RAFAEL ESPINOZA

C NAOYA INOUE

Japan • 32-0-0 (27 KOs)

+1 MURODJON AKHMADALIEV

Mexico • 28-0-0 (24 KOs)

Uzbekistan • 14-2-0 (11 KOs) +1 SAM GOODMAN Australia • 22-1-0 (8 KOs) +1 JUNTO NAKATANI Japan • 32-0-0 (24 KOs)

2 ANGELO LEO

U.S. • 26-1-0 (12 KOs) 3 BRUCE CARRINGTON U.S. • 17-0-0 (10 KOs) 4 STEPHEN FULTON U.S. • 23-2-0 (8 KOs) 5 BRANDON FIGUEROA U.S. • 27-2-1 (20 KOs) 6 NICK BALL U.K. • 23-1-1 (13 KOs) 7 LUIS ALBERTO LOPEZ

+1 SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ

Mexico • 20-1-0 (18 KOs)

+1 RAMON CARDENAS

Philippines • 18-0-0 (10 KOs)

U.S. • 27-2-0 (15 KOs) +1 RYOSUKE NISHIDA Japan • 11-1-0 (2 KOs) +1 ALAN PICASSO Mexico • 32-1-1 (17 KOs) +1 SHABAZ MASOUD U.K. • 15-0-0 (4 KOs)

6 RAYMOND FORD

U.S. • 18-1-1 (8 KOs)

7 EDUARDO NUNEZ

Mexico • 29-2-0 (27 KOs)

Mexico • 32-3-0 (19 KOs)

8 RYAN GARNER

8 MIRCO CUELLO

U.K. • 19-0-0 (10 KOs)

Argentina • 16-0-0 (13 KOs)

9 RA’EESE ALEEM U.S. • 23-1-0 (12 KOs) 10 H CRISTOBAL LORENTE Spain • 21-0-3 (8 KOs)

+1 JAMES DICKENS U.K. • 36-6-0 (15 KOs) 10 H HAYATO TSUTSUMI Japan • 8-0-0 (5 KOs)

+1 BRYAN MERCADO VAZQUEZ

Mexico • 32-2-0 (26 KOs)

10 H YUKINORI OGUNI

Japan • 24-4-3 (9 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 118 POUNDS

JR. BANTAMWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 115 POUNDS

FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 112 POUNDS

JR. FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 108 POUNDS

C (VACANT) 1 SEIYA TSUTSUMI

C JESSE RODRIGUEZ U.S. • 23-0-0 (16 KOs) 1 FERNANDO MARTINEZ

C ( VACANT) 1 RICARDO SANDOVAL U.S. • 27-2-0 (18 KOs) 2 MASAMICHI YABUKI Japan • 19-4-0 (18 KOs) 3 ANTHONY OLASCUAGA U.S. • 12-1-0 (9 KOs) 4 SEIGO YURI AKUI Japan • 22-3-1 (12 KOs) 5 GALAL YAFAI U.K. • 9-1-0 (7 KOs) 6 ANGEL AYALA Mexico • 18-1-0 (8 KOs) 7 +1 FELIX ALVARADO

C (VACANT) 1 RENE SANTIAGO

Japan • 13-0-3 (8 KOs) 2 CHRISTIAN MEDINA Mexico • 27-4-0 (19 KOs) 3 TAKUMA INOUE Japan • 21-2-0 (5 KOs) 4 DAIGO HIGA Japan • 21-3-3 (19 KOs) 5 ANTONIO VARGAS U.S. • 19-1-1 (11 KOs) 6 RIKU MASUDA Japan • 10-1-0 (9 KOs) 7 JOSE SALAS Mexico • 17-0-0 (11 KOs) 8 YOSHIKI TAKEI Japan • 11-1-0 (9 KOs) 9 H TENSHIN NASUKAWA Japan • 8-1-0 (3 KOs) 10 -1 KAZUTO IOKA Japan • 32-4-1 (17 KOs)

Puerto Rico • 16-4-0 (9 KOs) +1 THANONGSAK SIMSRI Thailand • 40-1-0 (35 KOs) -1 CARLOS CANIZALES Venezuela • 28-3-1 (20 KOs)

Argentina • 18-1-0 (9 KOs)

2 DAVID JIMENEZ

Costa Rica • 18-1-0 (12 KOs)

3 PHUMELELA CAFU

S. Africa • 11-1-3 (8 KOs)

4 KYOSUKE TAKAMI

4 TOMOYA TSUBOI Japan • 3-0-0 (2 KOs) 5 ANDREW MOLONEY

Japan • 10-1-0 (8 KOs)

5 SHOKICHI IWATA

Japan • 16-2-0 (12 KOs)

Australia • 28-4-0 (18 KOs)

6 REGIE SUGANOB

6 RICARDO MALAJIKA

Philippines • 18-1-0 (7 KOs)

S. Africa • 17-2-0 (12 KOs)

7 CRISTIAN ARANETA

7 WILLIBALDO GARCIA Mexico • 23-6-2 (13 KOs) 8 RENE CALIXTO BIBIANO Mexico • 24-1-1 (10 KOs) 9 Ghana • 14-0-0 (11 KOs)

Nicaragua • 42-5-0 (35 KOs)

Philippines • 25-3-0 (20 KOs)

8 H MIEL FAJARDO

8 ERIK BADILLO

Philippines • 14-3-2 (12 KOs)

Mexico • 19-0-0 (8 KOs)

9 JOSELITO VELAZQUEZ Mexico • 22-1-1 (14 KOs) 10 YOALI MEJIA MOSQUEDA Mexico • 15-0-0 (12 KOs)

+1 SIVENATHI NONTSHINGA

+1 THEOPHILOUS ALLOTEY

S. Africa • 14-2-0 (11 KOs)

-1 MASATAKA TANIGUCHI

-1 ISRAEL GONZALEZ Mexico • 31-5-2 (12 KOs)

Japan • 21-6-0 (15 KOs)

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